B&H Podcast: Authentic Photographic Documentation vs AI Generated Images
Release Date: 09/26/2024
Finding Faces in the Rocks, with John Paul Caponigro and Joel Simpson
B&H Photography Podcast
“If you look very intensely and slowly things will happen that you never dreamed of before.” This Aaron Siskind quote neatly sums up the deeply contemplative discussion we had with landscape photographers John Paul Caponigro and Joel Simpson in this week’s podcast. Siskind’s name is mentioned several times in our chat—as are many other 20th century photography legends—making this show both an exploration of photo history and an exercise in a holistic way to envision and record the world around us. Our focus on landscape quickly diverges from realistic depictions in favor of terrain...
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Shuang Hu Tells All: Starting Out, Collaborations & Viral Growth Hacks
B&H Photography Podcast
We’re kicking off the B&H Creators Green Room with the very talented Shuang Hu. Shuang is a renowned actress, writer, director, producer, and viral content creator with over 12 million followers. Tune in to learn about her creative journey, inspiration, and what it takes to grow as a modern creator. Guest Bio: Shuang Hu is a talented Chinese-Australian actress, writer, director, producer, and content creator who has gained over 12 million followers since starting her online content in March 2020. Her YouTube channel, THEONESHU, was listed as one of the top 50 most viewed US...
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Next Frame: From Boxing Rings to Media Stages with Josh Nass
B&H Photography Podcast
The photo world is filled with remarkable young and up-and-coming talents. They often don’t get the visibility they deserve, so we created Next Frame—a new monthly series aiming to shine a light their way. These bite-sized episodes are equally inspired by the guests we speak with and the invaluable contributions of local creative arts programs that have played a key role in their development. We’re launching this series with photographer, filmmaker, and boxing & music aficionado Josh Nass, an alumnus of Baltimore’s Wide Angle Youth Media programs. From nailing his Photoshop skills...
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BILD 2025 Recap, with CJ Wolfe, Maria Clinton & Benjamin Von Wong
B&H Photography Podcast
Above Photograph © Matt Emond Summertime is the season for travel. With that theme in mind, in today’s show, we’re taking you on a short trip around the block to revisit a few of our favorite encounters from B&H’s 2025 Bild Expo. During two days in June, we engaged with the many thousands of Expo attendees who converged at New York’s Jacob Javits Center for the show. From our sleek podcast console/recording station adjacent to the Bild stages, we shared our favorite listens and offered advice to the many inquisitive creatives wanting to start up a podcast of their own. Amid all...
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Path of Liberty: That Which Unites US, with Daniella Vale & Scott Beardslee
B&H Photography Podcast
“That which unites us is far greater than what divides us.” The first four words of this sentence are subtitle, and subtext, for “Path of Liberty,” an immersive outdoor photo and media experience on view through fall 2025 at Freedom Plaza on Manhattan’s east side. The creative groundwork for this project was a mammoth effort involving an extensive crew both on the road and behind the scenes. In today’s podcast, we catch up with two principals of this project’s creative team—creative director Daniella Vale and director of photography, Scott Beardslee—to learn more about their...
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The Art of the SNL Portrait, with Mary Ellen Matthews
B&H Photography Podcast
“Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night!” That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture over the past 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live. Week in, week out for more than two decades, a single photographer has conjured visual magic behind the scenes, creating inventive and irreverent portraits that air for three seconds each as so-called “bumpers” that transition to and from the show’s commercial breaks. In this week’s...
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The Great Acceleration: Human-Altered Industrial Landscapes, with Edward Burtynsky
B&H Photography Podcast
Industrial expansion has left an indelible mark on our natural world, fundamentally altering landscapes and ecosystems for the sake of material progress and modern convenience. This transformation has created an environmental challenge of unprecedented scale. In today’s show, we’ll connect the dots between the raw materials that make up our planet and the industrial forces visually altering our contemporary landscape in a chat with a photographer who’s documented these profound global changes firsthand for the past 50 years. Applying visual principals rooted in abstract expressionist...
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A Master Class in Photo Book Publishing, with Mary Virginia Swanson & Rick Smolan
B&H Photography Podcast
Every photographer dreams of publishing a book of their photographs. But what exactly does that entail? In today’s show, we’re going to peek behind the scenes of this complex and daunting process in a chat with two complementary figures who’ve spent their respective careers helping to redefine what a photo book can be. Starting with three basic questions—Why a book? Why now? And what is the role of a book in your career at this time?—our discussion expands to cover a broad range of concerns. From distinguishing between the many different publishing models available today, to insights...
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The Beauty & Impact of Polar Photography, with Acacia Johnson & Jonas Paurell
B&H Photography Podcast
In a world of perpetual motion, there exists a realm of profound stillness—where light doesn’t simply illuminate, it transforms. Far from home amid Earth’s frozen tundras, time itself seems suspended in crystalline air. In today’s podcast, we’ll visit these places where time hangs in the balance, and we’ll explore the intrepid mix of endurance, patience, and vision it takes to make pictures there. Joining us for this conversation are polar photography specialists Acacia Johnson and Jonas Paurell. From making distinctions between Arctic and Antarctic regions, to learning about the...
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The Alchemy of Urban Street Portraits, with Jamel Shabazz
B&H Photography Podcast
When it comes to his iconic street portraits, Jamel Shabazz is all about building relationships and spreading joy. Yet, beyond the rich tapestry created with both the neighbors and strangers, friends and rivals he’s encountered across New York’s five boroughs, Jamel’s most meaningful role might be that of a street teacher, touching the lives of the people in front of his lens and inviting them to mark their place in history. In today’s podcast, we learn from the master while tracing his career path, from early observational learning at the side of his father—a professional...
info_outlineIn today’s podcast, we chat with Boris Eldagsen, visual artist and AI pioneer, and Miles Astray, documentary photographer, on a plethora of issues surrounding AI-generated content. Boris and Miles share a ton of insight into the nature of AI-generated images, from the implications of it becoming more prevalent, the possibility and dangers of the spread of misinformation all the way to the need to rethink how we engage with social media.
These are just a few of the points raised in our discussion with them. If you haven’t already listened, This episode is part of a wider series tracing the effects of AI on today’s creative community.
Guests: Boris Eldagsen & Miles Astray
Top shot: TOP_SHOT_Eldagsen_Astray_bhpodcast
Photo caption: AI Generated Image “The Electrician” vs Authentic Photograph “Flamingone”
Photo credit: Collaged diptych: © Boris Eldagsen / © Miles Astray
Episode Timeline:
3:40: Boris shares his thoughts on the difference in reception between his and Miles’ respective contest entries.
6:34: Discussing the blurry boundaries between editing photographs and generated images.
15:18: Miles shares some of his motivations behind his photo, “F L A M I N G O N E”.
20:12: As AI images become more prevalent what happens when we’re flooded with content with questionable basis in reality.
27:24: The pitfalls of generated images and living in a “post-truth” era.
29:37: Episode Break
30:52: The surprising, sometimes idiosyncratic nature of what AI models generate when entering prompts.
42:33: What the lack of guardrails and censorship with AI-generated content means for creativity.
47:55: Discussing the possible dangers of AI-content to the documentary-photography process.
53:07: The opposing nature of social media as a news source and a business.
59:34: The prevalence of fact checking on social media sites.
1:06:53: On the lack of a perfect solution to the problem with manipulated images and the spread of disinformation.
Guest Bios:
Boris Eldagsen is an acclaimed media artist, photographer, and AI pioneer based in Berlin. His work in photomedia explores the limits of what can be depicted. Using a combination of street photography, staged works, and, most recently, both still and video AI image-making tools, he deals intensively with the subconscious, which inspires him to create new worlds of images.
Boris has taught creativity, concept development, and photographic art in both Germany and Australia since 2004. Additionally, he is a member of Deutsche Fotografische Akademie, and is responsible for their online activities.
Miles Astray is a multidisciplinary artist who combines writing and photography into art activism. He was inspired by a slow and immersive journey around the world that started in 2012, when he set out to work with grassroots nonprofits for a year.
Little did he know this would be the first step of a new chapter of a reinvented life, living and working with local communities in Latin America, Asia and Africa. When he returned home for the first time in 2018, he found home was no longer a place to settle, it was just another place to stop along the path of a greater journey. And, thus he’s still out there, not so much to find answers, but to keep asking questions.
Stay Connected:
Boris Eldagsen Web site: https://www.eldagsen.com/
Boris Eldagsen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boriseldagsen
Boris Eldagsen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boriseldagsen
Boris Eldagsen YouTube: www.youtube.com/@boriseldagsen
Boris Eldagsen Prompt Whispering Workshops: https://www.promptwhispering.ai/workshops/
Miles Astray Web site: https://www.milesastray.com/
Miles Astray Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milesastray/
Miles Astray Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilesAstray/
Miles Astray Twitter: https://twitter.com/milesastray
Boris Eldagsen Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/fake-memories-promptography-and-generative-ai-with-boris-eldagsen
Stephen Shankland Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-ai-with-stephen-shankland
Fred Ritchin Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-synthetic-imaging-with-fred-ritchin